15
Alice, with the silver caterpillar now pinned to her shirt, makes her way to the center of the Cibus for dinner. She has no idea how she's going to do this, exactly, but with Iracebeth's shirt in hand she knows what she must do.
Mirana spies her and rises from her place between Tarrant and Mally, gliding over to stand by her side. In a longsleeved, white collared blouse, flowing matching skirt, and flats, her long, platinum blonde hair seeming to shimmer in the sunlight streaming through the windows, she nearly takes Alice's breath away. As she gazes at her expectantly, the epitome of hidden strength, any doubt from before vanishes.
Mirana Marmoreal Underland is worth fighting for.
Iracebeth's voice cuts through the din before anyone else can say a word. "Um?" she yells. "Um, what are you doing up there?"
The entire hall hushes, but the use of that awful nickname sets something off within Alice. "My name is not Um." she says, looking Iracebeth straight in the eye. "My name is Alice Kingsleigh, and I have never answered to you." She unbuttons her jacket and holds it open, revealing the white collared shirt. "My allegiance has been, and always will be, to Mirana Underland." She holds up the red and black shirt, already unbuttoned. "I am no longer part of your gang." The fabric tears easily in half, not perfectly, but enough to get the message across. The sound of the material shredding into two seals her fate. She drops the shirt.
There is a moment of silence, then an outbreak of cheers.
"I KNEW IT!" Thackery bellows happily.
"Well done Alice!" Bayard calls from an unbiased table.
"I always liked that girl!" Mally yells from beside Tarrant, who only grins at her.
"Hurray for Alice!" Timmy and Tommy shout. Stayne smacks them both upside the head, but they're too happy to care.
"ENOUGH!"
Iracebeth strides over to Mirana and Alice, her face a bright scarlet shade. Her eyes lock on Mirana, and she purses her lips so tightly they nearly disappear. "You," she snarls, her voice dangerously low. "You just can't be satisfied unless everyone loves you, can you?"
" 'Racie —"
"DON'T YOU 'RACIE ME!"
Iracebeth lunges at her, but Alice steps between them, shoving Iracebeth back and wrapping her arms protectively around Mirana. Iracebeth stumbles and falls onto her arse, causing everyone but the Jabberwocky to laugh, even those wearing red and black. She smacks her fists onto the tile.
"STAYNE!"
Stayne rushes to her side, the hint of a smirk still present on his face as he helps her to her feet. Iracebeth shrugs him off once she's fully upright and whirls on Alice. "You've made an enemy of me, Alice." she hisses her name. "You will regret this."
"I'm sure I won't." Alice says coyly. "Oh, and there's something else." She cups her hands around her mouth and calls out, "I CHALLENGE THE JABBERWOCKY TO A FIGHT! IF I WIN, IRACEBETH'S REIGN OF TERROR ENDS! IF I LOSE, MIRANA WILL SURRENDER!"
"Alice, what are you doing?" Mirana whispers, panic in her eyes.
"No idea." she whispers back out of the corner of her mouth. "But I know it's right."
Iracebeth smirks. "You just signed your own death sentence." she says, then shouts to the crowd, "THE FIGHT TAKES PLACE IN THREE DAYS, IN FRONT OF THE STATUE, 12 NOON! HOWEVER!" she says, silencing the uproarious crowd with a glare. "I WANT ALICE KINGSLEIGH'S HEAD! WHOEVER BRINGS IT TO ME WILL BE REWARDED WITH WHATEVER THEY DESIRE!" Iracebeth smiles at her evilly. The crowd cheers at that while Tarrant, Mally, Thackery, and Bayard look on in horror. "You'd better watch your back. You too," she leans in, lowering her voice. "Mirana."
Alice keeps a brave face until they return to their dorm. She looks at Mirana fearfully. "She doesn't actually want my head, does she?"
Mirana sighs. "Yes, she does. This is exactly why I didn't want you to do this. If you're having second thoughts, I understand."
"No!" Mirana flinches at her volume; Alice softens her voice. "Believe me when I say I'd follow you through Hell and back." She joins her on her bed. "Look, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But by putting your throne on the line, so to speak, it's given me even more reason to win this fight. I am your Champion."
"Oh, Alice you are so much more than —" Mirana stops herself suddenly, biting her lip, opting to stare at her hands on her lap.
"More than what?"
"I shouldn't."
"I think you should." Alice grins cheekily. "I am risking my life for you, after all."
Mirana elbows her, rolling her eyes. She grows serious again. "You're so much more than just my Champion. You always have been. I do feel something for you, but —" she silences Alice with a look. "There's a lot going on, and I don't know if what I feel for you is really love or romanticized gratitude."
"You keep saying that. What do you know?"
"I… mmm." Mirana hums a little, looking suddenly embarrassed.
"You what?"
"I know that I… I'd like to kiss you again, to see how I feel now."
Alice grins. "You can kiss me whenever you'd like."
Mirana rolls her eyes. "You're impossible." She hums again to herself, thinking. "Close your eyes for me?"
Alice's eyelids flutter shut instantly. She sits there, trying to anticipate the kiss, but nothing prepares her for the feeling of Mirana's lips covering hers once more.
They start as soft, light kisses, tentative, shy, before deepening as Mirana presses against her a bit harder, her hand coming to rest on Alice's thigh. Heat pools in Alice's lower abdomen. She wonders if Mirana knows just how much she's affecting her, and before she realizes what she's doing her hands have come to rest on Mirana's hips. Startled, she makes to move them away but Mirana reaches back and holds them there as she continues to kiss her, parting her lips with her tongue. Taking this as further encouragement, Alice leans back, pulling Mirana with her, until Mirana straddles her hips, never once breaking their dizzying kiss. Alice can taste her cherry lipstick once more, and then something else that is uniquely Mirana. She thinks there's a bit of vanilla in there, but her mind has gone to mush at this point, so caught up in Mirana's lips caressing hers, her tongue exploring her mouth painfully slow. It's all Alice can do to keep her hands respectfully at her waist and not allow them to move upward.
When they do finally have to break apart for air Alice finds herself gazing up at a panting Mirana, eyes partly closed, lips slightly curved, the tiniest bit of a smile on her perfect face. Her lipstick is mostly gone, revealing soft, dusky rose lips, and Alice has no doubt as to where it went. Licking her lips confirms this, and for a moment Alice wonders why lipstick doesn't taste this good straight from the tube.
When their eyes meet, Mirana flushes and crawls off of her. Alice laughs softly.
"That felt like a lot more than, what did you say? Romanticized gratitude?" she teases, trying to hide how extremely turned on she is in this moment. Damn her body.
"I would say the same." Mirana says quietly, smiling at her shyly.
As Alice gazes into those warm, dark eyes, she thinks she sees a hint of something there within them. It's enough to embolden her to say what she does next. "When all this is over, would you like to go out with me sometime?"
Mirana blinks at her. "What?"
"It's clear to me that if we're going to get anywhere with whatever this is, I have to do this the right way. So," she takes Mirana's hands into her own. "Will you go on a date with me, once this is all said and done?"
Mirana studies her eyes for a moment, searching for something, Alice doesn't quite know what. Insincerity, perhaps? The waiting is slowly killing her, but Alice forces herself to be patient.
After what seems like an eternity, Mirana finally says:
"Yes."
Rap, rap, rap, rap, rap!
The knocking startles them both and they leap to their feet.
"Coming!" Mirana calls. Her eyes land on Alice's lips and widen. "Oh my goodness, hold on. Don't open that door yet." She yanks a tissue from the box on her desk and hands it to Alice. "Wipe that off." she commands before going back to her desk to apply a fresh coat onto her own lips.
"I think it looks good on me."
"Off."
Alice snickers to herself, wiping Mirana's lipstick off. The tissue soon becomes stained, and she tosses it into her rubbish bin before peeking through the spy hole at the top of the door. Bayard stands alone, looking left, then right, then left again, his eyes occasionally flickering back to the door, anxious.
Alice pulls the door open, and Bayard practically stumbles through. Once in, he slams the door shut, pressing himself against it to make it click into place faster. His eyes are wild, barely visible under his long fringe, which has gotten considerably messier. His baja sienna brown hoodie is rumpled and torn a bit at the side, and he stands on shaking legs. He slowly lowers himself onto the ground, hugging his knees to his chest, scooting away from the door.
Alice kneels beside him, Mirana joining her. "Bayard, what happened?"
"I don't know what you were thinking, Alice, but you're absolutely insane." Bayard says, panting. "After you two left the Cibus, all Hell broke loose. People taking sides left and right, placing bets on who would win. I made a run for it with Tarrant, Mally, Chess, and Thackery. I was able to get them out alright, but I almost didn't make it. Please tell me you know what you're doing." he pleads, looking at Alice desperately.
Before Alice can answer, there are another set of knocks: rap, rap, rap, rap, rap!
Mirana goes to answer it, letting in Tarrant, Thackery, Mally, and Chess. Chess burrows into Mirana's arms while Tarrant, Thackery, and Mally rush to Bayard's side.
Alice helps Bayard up, sitting him on her bed while everyone gathers around him on either side. "I'm going to fight the Jabberwocky, and I'm going to win." she tells him.
Bayard scrunches his nose. "No offense, Alice, but do you even know how to fight? You don't look like you can do much against him."
Alice bites her lip. Right. That bit. "I don't. But I can learn."
Tarrant glares at her, eyes dark. "Ye dornt knoo hoo tae faight?" he says slowly.
Mirana looks between them, panicked. "Tarrant, please."
Tarrant ignores her. He rises, going to stand in front of Alice. "Ye gang an' rin yer gob, an' ye huvnae got th' skills tae back it up?"
Mally furrows her brow. "He's right!"
Thackery comforts Chess, who now looks scared and confused. If he were a real cat, he'd definitely have a puffed up tail and an arched back. Tarrant continues on with his tirade. "Wa cooldnae ye hauld ontae yer cowre fur jist a wee while longer? Wa cooldnae ye jist wait?"
A whirlwind of emotions overtakes Alice, and she clamps her hands over her ears to contain them, but it's no use.
Confusion: Didn't she do the right thing? Isn't this what's supposed to happen?
Hurt: These are supposed to be her friends! They're supposed to be supportive!
Anger: She's risking herself, making a declaration like that! They're not the ones who have to fight the Jabberwocky! They don't have everyone's hopes resting on their shoulders!
"STOP!"
Mirana's voice silences Tarrant's and Mally's. Alice doesn't think she's ever heard her raise her voice like that before, so strong and commanding. When she looks up at Mirana, she is met by a locked jaw, burning eyes, and slightly flaring nostrils. A terrifying sight, one that nearly mirrors Iracebeth's, but while Iracebeth's appears to be more of a tantrum, Mirana's holds a kind of power that can make the angels themselves kneel.
She continues. "Now, I do understand that what Alice did today was rash. But, up until then, we were only prolonging the inevitable. Alice just sped things along. And, out of all of you, she, the one who has known me the least, has stepped forward and put herself in danger, not just for my sake, but for everyone's. So the least we can do is support her, because at this point she is all the hope we have." She gingerly places her hand on Alice's shoulder, slightly bending her wrist to rest it there. They must be healing enough for her to do so. "She is my Champion, and if you won't accept that, then I don't want you beside me any longer."
Tarrant sighs, his eyes lightening as he forces himself to calm down. "I will accept it. I don't really have a choice."
"Me too." Mally says, sinking down beside Tarrant back onto the bed.
Bayard grunts, shifting his weight. "Which begs the question: who is going to teach Alice? None of us know how to fight, I don't think."
Bang, bang, bang!
"More people?" Mirana takes a look through and steps back immediately. "It's the Bandersnatch."
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
"Open up, Kingsleigh! I know you're in there!"
Alice makes for the door, but Mirana forcefully sits her back down, wincing a little. "Don't you dare." she growls, deadly serious.
"He's not with Iracebeth anymore." Alice explains. "He's okay, let me let him in!"
There's some clicks from the knob. Tarrant throws himself against the door, but the Bandersnatch easily shoves it open and slams it shut. Tarrant starts swinging at him, but he just pushes him away as if he's no more than a troublesome fly.
"Calm down, will you? I'm not going to hurt anybody."
"How do we know that's true?" Tarrant snarls.
"Because I would have punched your bloody lights out by now, that's why. Sit the fuck down." he says, pushing Tarrant into a cross-legged position.
"What do you want, Bandersnatch?" Chess taps out with trembling fingers.
The Bandersnatch sighs. "That hasn't been my name for a while. I'm not part of Iracebeth's gang anymore. The lot of them treat me like shit."
"Then why are you here?" Alice asks. "You told me you didn't want to get involved anymore."
The Bandersnatch laughs. "Isn't that what you said, in the beginning? Seems ages ago, right? Let's just say you inspired me, in a way. Putting your life on the line like that, which you are, if you haven't realized that by now, is absolutely mad, and a little bit stupid. But if you're willing to do that much to take Iracebeth down, then maybe you might have a chance. So I'm gonna teach you how to fight. Oh, and don't call me 'Bandersnatch' anymore. I want to leave that behind me. My real name is Baxton."
"Well, er, Baxton," Mirana says, adjusting to the new name. "Do you have any white you could wear, or —"
"Oh no, I'm not doing the whole uniform thing." Baxton says. "I'll appear at your side the day of the fight, but until then, when we're out there, you don't know me, and I sure as hell don't know you. And let's make one thing clear: my loyalty lies with her," he points at Alice. "Not with you."
Mirana purses her lips. "Fair enough. You do understand that there will be someone with both of you at all times when you do come to train her if I can't be there myself?"
Baxton snorts. "Understandable, though I could crush all of you in a second."
"But you won't." Chess taps out.
"No, I won't. I want Iracebeth to lose."
"So, it's a deal then." Mirana says.
"Deal."
Mirana holds out her hand, and Baxton must have shaken it far too firmly, because a tiny hiss escapes her teeth as she pulls back, something anyone else would have missed, had they not been paying attention.
"Can you at least escort them back to their rooms?" Mirana asks. "I'd like to be alone."
Baxton shrugs. "I suppose." He looks at Alice. "We start tomorrow."
Tarrant and Mally follow him out, but Chess remains clamped to Thackery on the bed. Thackery smiles down at him, trying to reassure him as he pries his fingers off and sets him on his feet. Chess leaves, but reluctantly, clinging to Thackery's hand the entire time. Mirana shuts the door behind them, and it is only when a moment has passed when she releases the breath she'd been holding. Neither speak for a little while, until Alice does.
"How are your wrists?"
"Much better, thank you." Mirana sits beside Alice on the bed. "It doesn't hurt so much to bend them now."
"Can I see them?"
Mirana hesitates, then slowly unwraps one of her wrists. The gauze falls away, revealing hundreds of thin, faded red lines running all the way around the wrist, the skin peeling a little at the edges. The sight of the contrast against her pure ivory skin causes Alice's blood to boil, bringing back fresh fantasies of killing Bumby. Which reminds her…
"I told Professor Flora what happened at the asylum."
Mirana pulls her wrist away. "You what?" she says, attempting to keep her tone controlled.
"I told Professor Flora."
"Why? If we were going to handle it, we were supposed to do it ourselves!"
"You weren't planning on it?"
"We're all safe from him now." Mirana tries to explain. "What would the point be in —"
"What about everyone else there? They could easily trade places with us. It could be us in there, but if they think that because they're safe they don't have to do anything, we'd still be in there." Alice sighs. "I understand you not wanting to get anyone else involved in your war. But what's going on with Bumby is bigger than both of us. We need help."
Mirana is quiet for a moment. "Does anyone else know?"
"Professor Alden knows as well."
"Why does he know?"
"I guess Professor Flora trusts him. And she wants to know if you, Tarrant, and Mason are willing to testify."
"Can this wait? We've still got to deal with your fight."
Alice considers it. "I suppose."
Mirana twines their fingers together, rubbing small circles on the back of Alice's hand with her thumb. "I'm glad it's you." she says softly. She settles down a little, laying to rest her head on Alice's shoulder. She smiles up at her. "I couldn't have chosen a better Champion."
Alice smiles back at her, but on the inside her stomach is churning, twisting into knots. Everyone is counting on her, Mirana most at all.
She hopes she doesn't fail.